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$200 to weld subframe connectors?
- Thread starter Swami
- Start date
Auto body shop rates in your area are probably about $60 per hour, figure 3 hours to clean the old metal, fixture the subframes and weld, then undercoat the work, throw in some $ for welding wire and undercoating materials and I can see $200 at a regular body shop. You might check with some custom muffler/exhaust shops and see if they can do better, don't go to the Meineke's or Midas shops, they don't like to do stuff that's out of the ordinary, look for a custom exhaust shop. I've had Taurus SHO subframes welded on by exhaust shops, these fellows are usually pretty experienced welders, then throw in a can or two of spray undercoat from Vatozone and call it done.
Got a quote from a body shop to do mine, $250.
I had mine done at an exhaust shop as well. They b**ched the whole time too. They liked Mustangs and didn't even know what an SVT Contour was. Typical. It actually confused them because it wasn't a Mustang. It was funny because I just stepped in and said, weld here, here, here, etc. The reply, " makes sense since that's what we do with the Mustangs". SMH.
I had the sub-frame connectors cleaned and painted before taking them. They ground off some of the paint to weld them on and then added some undercoating to the welds. Cost me $75.
I had mine done at an exhaust shop as well. They b**ched the whole time too. They liked Mustangs and didn't even know what an SVT Contour was. Typical. It actually confused them because it wasn't a Mustang. It was funny because I just stepped in and said, weld here, here, here, etc. The reply, " makes sense since that's what we do with the Mustangs". SMH.
I had the sub-frame connectors cleaned and painted before taking them. They ground off some of the paint to weld them on and then added some undercoating to the welds. Cost me $75.
Seafire XV
CEG'er
If you need anything like subframe repairs or modifications, your best bet is to try and find a fabrication shop, not a muffler shop. If you can't find one, and there is any kind of race track or race facility in your area, check there. Someone will be able to point you in the right direction. I had a damaged sway bar bracket and found a local fabricator in an SCCA publication. All I had to do was tell them what I wanted done and they knew exactly what to do, no complaints. It only cost me $75 for the repair and to have both brackets reinforced. They were quick and clean, although it was a slow day for them. As far as the undercoating is concerned, that's out of my field as I live in California. Hope this helps.
Thanks everyone. I went with the local auto body shop as the welder had experience with various chassis braces. Got them down to $150. Not a bargain, but he seemed to know what he was talking about and I would rather have it done right than save a few bucks - or spend too much time shopping around.
I reached out to a local exhaust shop that also has done subframe connectors on Mustangs, and came highly recommended by the local enthusiast community. Based on the pictures of the installed connectors in the original group buy thread, he said it looks very straightforward and estimated about $120 to install. We'll see what it turns out to really be in about 6 to 8 weeks once winter stops and the salt is no longer on the roads.